Melbourne-Sana
Today, Australian authorities put the capital Canberra on high alert as forest fires approach it, while smoke and dust covered large parts of the east of the country, raising serious warnings of health risks to the population.
Reuters reported that fears increased that the fire, which is fueled by temperatures exceeding 40 degrees Celsius, could reach the southern outskirts of Canberra, threatening homes and lives, as happened in 2003 when about 500 houses were destroyed by the fire and four people were killed.
And the fires spread in the Australian Capital Territory, which includes the city on more than 136 thousand acres, equivalent to about a quarter of the region's lands.
Local firefighting authorities said that lower temperatures will help efforts to contain flames today, but residents must closely monitor any change in fires, while Andrew Barr, chief minister of the Capital Territory, indicated today that "we still have days and maybe weeks of fire fighting".
The long season of devastating forest fires in Australia has so far killed 33 people and killed an estimated 1 billion wild animals since last September, and destroyed nearly 2,500 homes and brought in 2.8 million acres.
